Packet based enterprise network services are complex and engineering centric to design. In most cases the service must connect many disparate customer locations in different geographic places, joining them all centrally using network resources from a core network. In some cases connectivity to a specific customer location may be provided by another communication service provider (CSP). In almost all cases the design of these services today is a manual exercise, supported with a master spreadsheet to track design progress, and is done on a location by location basis over a time period of one to six months, depending on the complexity of the network service. As these services become more of an expected commodity in the industry there is a move to partially automate the design and fulfillment of these services.
To date, there is not an agnostic, technology independent “click-and-go” approach for network service design, configuration, and/or packet connectivity for all major packet based domains. Technology independent models are desired for supporting packet flow inspection, shaping, and configuration at any access point in a packet based network. In addition to this, systems and methods for at least partially automated visual design support and/or adequate modeling for complex multipoint-to-multipoint (MP2MP) services for all major packet based domains do not currently exist.
As a result, a need exists for improved methods, systems, and computer readable media for configuring service networks for agnostic, technology independent modeling of network services, in at least a partially automated manner, having improved efficiency, speed, visual accessibility, ease of use, and reduced design error.